


Love, Marge

by Jay Tryfanstone (tryfanstone)



Category: 14th Century CE RPF, 14th and 15th Century CE Religious Women RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fans & Fandom, Epistolary, Gen, In period, Middle English, Yuletide 2016, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 14:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8894221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryfanstone/pseuds/Jay%20Tryfanstone
Summary: Mostly I'm just in love with the thought that Marge and Jules hung out and talked about Christ and possibly beta'd for each other....





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [izzybeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/izzybeth/gifts).



**Letter 1:** The Request for Beta

 

_Dame Jelyan,_

_Wyl the booke was in wrytyng, whan I egan fyrst to wryten on this booke, of yow gret charité ye seyd ye wolde wrytyn it betyr wyth good wylle. Sithyn I in pyté and hop sende myn booke to thewarde, to redyn. Twenty yer and mor fro that tym I had fyrst felyngys and revelacyons ower Lord comawnded and chargyd hys dowtyr tellyn this trewth, this wrytyng myn boke, that hys goodnesse myth be knowyn to alle the world, and sythen I deyd._

_Myn leryd maystres, ye cowde most skyl in wrytyng, expert in swech thyngys. Yow good cownsel is preciows in myn eyne. Of the good wil redyn myn booke, myn myssespendist tymee, myn evel wretyn, skyll theron, and sende it ageyn: I wyl yow hir wythowtyn any roryng er crying, and wyl abeyn yowr correccyon._

_I schal thynkyn many thowsend yerys,_

_Your frend,_

_Mar. Kempe of Lynne_

 

 

 **Letter 2:** The Second Draft

 

_Myn frend,_

_Revelacyons be hard sumtyme to undirstondyn, as the wel knowe, and to wrytyn myn felyngys wyth myn owen handys I had gret vexacyon. Redyng therfor yow wordys of cownsel of myn lytyl skyll dede me grete joye, so mech that I cowd not wyl restreyn mynself fro the wrytyng therof. I knowe wel myn booke is evel wretyn, neithyr good Englysch ne Dewch, the lettyrs not schapyn ne formyd as other letters ben, and of myn felyngys I had swech drede whethyr thei wer trewe er not. Syster, yowr words, "the Holy Gost is in yowr sowle" and "settyth al yowr trust in God and feryth not the langage of the world", wer to me synguler solas and comforte._

_In bone hert therfor I roos at two and three of the clok wyth myn writer and labowrd at myn booke, takyng gret heed of yow wordys and correpcyons, trustyng that I plesyn owr Lord wyth myn writyng, and that with this boke many a man schal be turnyd to hym and belevyn therin. I wrot wyth plentyuows terys and myn writer, myn clerk, copyn it owt ful mekely and paciently, and so I sende the this second tretys, beggyng yow of yowr grace to redyn so it mygth be ryth wretyn and trewe._

_I am redy for to amende it wyth good wille, I behest._

_In trewth yowr frend,_

_Margery Kempe_

 

 

 **Letter 3** : Adding Description

 

_Myn der frend,_

_Chastyse me as the wilte. I cowd lytyl of wrytyng and leryn at yowr feet: of yowr schort cher and scharp langage I am not afeerd, my syster in Crist. I her seyn to wetyn in this mater of good wordys is trubbyl and labowr._

_The speke to me of trewth, that I schuld tellyn this tale with wordys schewyng experiens, that even cristen knowe hem trewe. Hence I schuld not wryten 'clothys', but 'fayr whyte clothys', not 'cam to the dor', but 'cam to the dor in hys clothys unsperd and unbotenyd," that I schuld schew not tell. That myn wrytyng of Crist be as verily to gostly undirstondyng as yyf I had be ther in bodily presens, that I in myn maner of wrytyng and spellyng shew that ther is no deceyte in myn wordys, that myn booke be undirstondyn and levyd. So in dede schal it be._

_Whan I a don wrytyng, I wolde send it theward. What that evyr yow sendith me be wolcom._

_Your frend,_

_Margery_

 

 

 **Letter 4:** Adding Porn

 

_Myn der lettryd frend,_

_Discuryng the prevyté of myn hert, I be evyl afeerd of the many wondirful revelacyons God put in myn sowle. Yow tell, writ of the verité of lofe, but of what schal I cryen? I belevyst in the manhode of Crist, whan I saw hys precyows body myn flesch tremelyd and whakyd wondirly, myn steryngys wer a flawme of fyer abowte myn brest, myn hert schok and brent. I lofe hym abovyn al thynge. No strumpet I be, no pervertyn, but a worshepful wyfys weddyd to my Godhede, and no fowyl rebawdy wordys can I writ, but only lofe, this holy dalyawns. Not wythstondyng I do, sum dissolute personys, not undyrstandyng lofe, wyl assail myn chastité wyth horibyl thowtys. A, wo! God have pité, I schal prey, and wryten._

_Yowr der frend,_

_Margery_

 

 

 **Letter 5:** Archiving

 

_Myn der frend, salve,_

_Of mor profyte, as wel I myth gevyn a hundred pounds owt of my purse. Myn booke is gon to the White Freyrs to be aprevyd, and schuld it languryn or schuld it be lovedyn, it schuld be alle as God willes._

_As it is wretyn in the begynnyng of the boke, many mo swech revelacyons I had in felyng; for hem alle to be wryten it schuld be lettyng peraventur of mor profyte. Myn boke be wretyn for to schewyn the homlynes and the goodlynes of owyr mercyful Lord Crist Jhesu and for no commendacyon of myselfe. Myn frend, many man and many woman wondyrd upon myn wordys, ful cruelly skornyd hem and despised hem, ans seyd that I schulde a seyd thyng whech that I seyd nevyr, whethyr it was trewe er not. Therfor prey that myn booke be preservyn wyth good wylle, I prey yow, for thei had lityl affeccyon to myn persone._

_I prise yowr careful reed, der syster. God preserve and kep yow and yowr wordys,_

_Yowr syster,_

_Margery of Kempe_


End file.
